A Different Kind of Holiday
by Scorn
Summary: Face goes to pick Amy up from the airport for Thanksgiving but it's not the passport checks that hold them up. No Romance!
1. The Perils of Airport Parking

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the A-team, but I keep checking ebay just in case.

**The Perils of Airport Parking**

"So you really don't know what the mile high club is?" She asked in a breathy voice barely concealing her laughter.

"No, honestly I haven't a clue" He gave her his most innocent face with the puppy dog eyes, this was far too easy but it passed the time pleasantly enough. "Maybe you could enlighten me?"

Her eyes narrowed as a speculative look crossed her face, she caught on quickly. "How could I be sure you're eligible to join?" she said sweetly with a small grin.

He leant forward and gazed deeply into her brown eyes, gently taking hold of her hand and caressing the back with his thumb, "I'm sure there wont be any problems with my, ahem, qualifications"

She looked down at their entwined hands than back into his rich blue eyes "Well, there's one way to find out isn't there"

"Well doesn't this just take the biscuit!" A new voice chimed in, "My fiancé tells me he'll pick me up at the airport and where do I find him…? In the bar, hitting on an air hostess."

"Er, maybe I should go" The woman pulled her hand out of Face's grip turning red to the roots of her hair.

"Yeah, why don't you do that honey" The other women said maliciously, moving round to sit in her seat as the poor woman fled the bar.

"Hi Amy. Did you have a bad flight or do you just take pleasure in ruining my dates." Face leant back in the chair, the very picture of relaxation, as if nothing untoward had just happened.

"Come on now Face, It's not like she was anything special, just one more in a long line for someone like you."

"I'll have you know she was very special to me"

"Really? So what was her name?"

"Her name?"

"Yes Face, her name."

"How thoughtless of me, I didn't offer you a drink; they do a delightful martini here or maybe something non alcoholic after such a long flight?"

Amy sat back in the chair and laughed "You don't know do you?"

"If you don't want anything to drink we really should be going."

"Face, stop changing the topic and tell me her name."

Face started to stand up, completely ignoring the question, and made to grab her bags.

"I'm not leaving till you answer me."

He glanced over at her and sighed. She was leaning back in the chair with her arms crossed over her chest and a smug look plastered over her face.

"We never got to that ok?" She laughed and clapped her hands together in glee drawing more than a few stares in the crowded bar. "So can we go now darling?" He growled the last word at her sarcastically.

"Love to Hon Bun" she replied in a chirpy voice virtually leaping out of the chair in her happiness at being right.

He picked up her bags and began to stride out into the main lobby of the airport so she had to run to catch up. The modern glass and steel building was quite crowded, mostly with families trying to reach each other before Thanksgiving, children dressed in gloves and scarves with wooly hats pulled down to their eyebrows ran helter-skelter everywhere despite the warmth inside. Wherever she looked there were families and couples laden with presents making her long for her childhood when her family would gather and all the arguments would be forgotten for a short while, usually a very short while. She shook herself mentally and hurried to catch up with Face who was making far better progress through the crowds than she was.

"Why are you here anyway?" she snagged his elbow to get his attention.

"Well that's nice isn't it, I come all this way in the pouring rain and all you can say is why are _you_ here." He didn't pause for a second.

Amy glared at the side of his head "All I meant was Hannibal said he'd pick me up."

"You can wait for him if you'd prefer, he shouldn't be more than a day or two."

"God, you are such a pain in the…"

"Now that's no way to talk to your fiancé." He interrupted.

That was one of the many reasons she found Face so difficult to get along with. He was so damned frustrating, never giving a straight or honest answer, and always seemingly one step ahead. That and his womanizing, though he had never tried that on her. Maybe that's part of the problem a small voice whispered in the back of her mind and was ruthlessly squashed. The others were easy to work out, Hannibal was practical and resourceful and utterly charming when he wanted, BA gruff and bad tempered but one of the most caring and careful people she'd ever met, Murdock was fun, kind and always trying to wind BA up with his imaginary friends, but the act got dropped as soon as he was needed. Then there was Face. A schemer, a womanizer, a whiner, always complaining about one thing or another. By all accounts completely untrustworthy, and yet trusted with so much every day. Sometimes she couldn't stand him. Today was going to be one of those days, she could tell.

"So, where is he then" she asked after they had walked in silence for a few steps.

"Who?" His face was the picture of innocence.

Amy bit back the angry retort, knowing that would only fuel his responses. "Hannibal, where is Hannibal?"

"Oh, Hannibal. I dunno, he just left a message asking me to pick you up. So here I am." He flashed her a quick grin before continuing to stride across the lobby.

She jogged to catch up again, "Can we at least slow down a bit?"

"Sorry, no can do Darling, public place and all that, you know how it is."

"But you go in public places all the time!" she huffed, slightly out of breath from dodging people and trying to keep up.

"Not ones rampant with security guards and CCTV Honey"

"Can you at least stop calling me names!"

"You started it Sweety."

"Face!"

"Ok, Ok, keep your panties on. You are wearing panties aren't you? I mean not that it's any of my concern but it's mighty cold outside and I wouldn't want you to catch a chill or anything." He was openly grinning now, even more so when he saw the outrage that crossed her face.

"I can't believe you just said that. Of all the patronizing, sexist, chauvinistic things you have ever said…" she trailed off as they got in the queue for the elevator to take them to the parking garage.

"Yes Sweetheart..?"

"Nothing." She turned away for him and prayed the elevator wouldn't be long.

"What is it? Something's obviously bothering you." Face was really starting to enjoy this. He'd teach her a lesson she wouldn't soon forget about pretending to be someone's fiancé.

"You know what's wrong just drop it will you." Amy replied quietly, all too aware of the stares and smirks of the other people in the queue.

"Darling, you know you can tell me, please, what is it?" Face asked in his most hurt tone, his expression belying none of the humor he had bottled up inside, but rather the very picture of concern.

"For crying out loud just leave it will you!" Amy finally snapped just as the elevator doors opened. As soon as it was empty she pushed her way to the back, unable to bear the open grins and barely hidden sniggers of the other passengers, Face following close behind with a look of confusion and concern on his angelic features.

They stood there in silence until Face announced in a sympathetic and concerned tone, "This is our floor Honey"

She just glared at him and pushed her way thorough the crowd of people onto the parking garage floor, growing more incensed every time she heard Face mutter an apology, and actually spinning round in shock when she heard him whisper conspiratorially, "It's her time of the month you know."

The closing doors couldn't drown out the laughter from the rest of the passengers as they could no longer contain themselves.

"I can't believe you said that!"

"Oh come on, it was just a bit of fun."

"It was utterly humiliating!"

"When are you ever going to see any of those people again?" His tone was completely sincere and she could feel herself being drawn in. "Anyway, you deserved it after your little stunt in the bar."

"Mmmm," Amy wasn't convinced, "no way, what you did was far worse."

"You lost me a date!" Face sounded outraged at the very thought that such a thing could happen to him.

"So we're even?" She had to ask even though she dreaded the answer.

"Yeah we're even." He started to walk through the parking lot, though this time at a more leisurely pace. She stood there for a couple of seconds staring at his back, bemused that he just expected her to follow him, and when his faint "For now." drifted to her she just shook her head in resignation. The only person she'd ever seen beat Face in an argument was Hannibal, and only then because he'd pulled rank.

Face chuckled quietly as he heard Amy muttering behind him as she hurried to catch up. Truth be told he loved to antagonize her by living up to the useless playboy image she had of him. He should be so lucky to live that kind of lifestyle where all he had to worry about was whether to sleep in or have breakfast in bed.

A soft clunk across the other side of the "empty" garage startled him from his thoughts and he stopped dead to listen just as Amy reached him.

"Face? Face where's your car? Are we on the wrong floor?"

He ignored her and listened, trying to pinpoint where the sound had come from. Maybe it was nothing but then again you could never be too careful and they hadn't avoided capture this long by ignoring their instincts. Face dropped one of the bags on the floor and put his arm around Amy's waist drawing her to him. "I missed you Darling."

"Face! What the hell do you think you're doing?" At first she'd been too shocked but now she struggled against him even as he dropped the other bag to hold her closer against his body. He snuggled against her neck, ignoring her protests and whispered in her ear.

"Play along will you, something's not right."

Amy stopped struggling at his words and stood stiffly in the circle of his arms wondering what he was up to this time, whether this was just an extension of her earlier humiliation, perhaps he'd really missed her, or if he was finally putting a move on her. Anything but what he whispered so sensually whilst starting to caress her back.

"We're being watched, over to your left behind the Ford, and there's a man across the other side of the garage as well. Would it kill you to put your arm round me?"

Amy tried to force herself to relax as she put her arms around his body, some small part of her brain noting the firm muscles beneath the designer shirt and how good he smelt up close like this. "If this is some kind of trick…" Even as the words left her mouth she regretted them, not even Face would joke about something like this.

"Military?"

She whispered the question into his jaw bone. Face snuggled closer and she noticed they were slowly turning in a circle so he could see all around them; the movement seemed incredibly natural, even to her.

"No, not Decker or he would have made his move by now. It could be nothing but…"

Amy's heart beat a little faster over the pause; Face thought there was something wrong and whereas he might drive her insane with his playboy attitude, she trusted his instincts. She moved one hand to the back of his head and played with his hair, trying not to notice how soft it felt beneath her fingers, "What do we do now?"

"Hopefully we walk to the car, get in and drive away."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"Then you're an air hostess, we met two days ago and arranged to get together when you got back from an overnight trip to Toronto. Hopefully they let you go and you contact Hannibal."

"And if they don't let me go?" She couldn't hide the note of fear in her voice.

"Then we play it by ear and hope for the best." He gave her a quick squeeze, picked up the fallen bags in his left hand and looped his right arm over her shoulders pulling her close. Amy wrapped her arm around his waist and tried to stop herself from shaking. She'd been in worse situations than this since she met up with the A-team, but there was usually a plan, back-up, and the other members, of all of them to get stuck with she had Face, at least he might be able to con or charm his way out of it.

Face rested his head on Amy's as they oh so casually strolled to the car "Just remember" he muttered under his breath "if we don't get to the car you're an air hostess, if we do get to the car buckle up and keep low, and if anything happens to me run like hell."

She tensed and it was only the pressure of his arm around her shoulders that kept her walking.

"Why would anything happen to you?" The panic and fear was audible even in her whisper.

"Because my Dear, for all we know that could be a posse of angry husbands out there."

It was almost enough to make her laugh, almost. She almost laughed again when she saw his car.

"Where's the 'Vette?"

He was unlocking the passenger door of a small electric blue convertible sports car with a fabric soft top and cream leather interior.

"In the shop, get in." He strolled round to drop her bags in the boot as she scrambled into the car feeling like she was sitting on the floor. Her hands were shaking slightly as she fumbled with the seatbelt, tucking it under her belt buckle and pulling it taught as BA had shown her, noting with displeasure how Face got in with all the grace of a movie star. She could feel her anger at him starting to rise again.

"Couldn't you have picked something a little more conspicuous?"

Face buckled his seatbelt and put the keys in the ignition without taking his eyes off the man approaching them whilst somehow appearing completely natural and disinterested.

"How was I supposed to know we'd be followed?" He started the engine.

"You're always being followed!" Anger and fear were battling inside her as the stranger drew nearer.

"So it would seem."

The man reached the car and strolled round to the driver's side and Face was suddenly thankfully for the crowd of cars making the parking close on the passenger side. Dressed in black trousers and jumper with a leather jacket that barely concealed the tell tale bulge of a holster he leant casually behind the driver door and tapped on the glass indicating for Face to roll down the window.

Face casually slipped the tiny car into reverse as he moved to open the window.

"Are you mad?" Amy hissed at him, petrified at having even such a small barrier removed.

"Sometimes; stay cool." He muttered back. He rolled the window down and smiled his most winning smile at the man, trying not to smirk at the pudding bowl haircut and pencil thin moustache. The stranger was going to a lot of trouble to try and create an air of menace but just ended up looking foolish. "Can I help you?"

"Get out of the car." He had the rough gravelly voice of a perpetual smoker though it couldn't hide the thick Mexican accent.

"Excuse me?" Face turned to Amy with a confused expression then back to the man. "Is there a problem?"

The man pulled back his jacket to show the gun in its holster under his arm.

"Yeah, now get out of the car."

"Listen friend, I don't know who you think you are but me and my new girlfriend are just on our way to celebrate thanksgiving together. Alone if you know what I mean. So what's the problem? You broken down or something? There's a phone just inside the main building, just take the elevator to the third floor and it's right in front of you, you can't miss it." He could see the man getting more and more infuriated as he prattled on and on, he just had to wait for him to do something foolish. "'Fraid I haven't got any tools with me, it's a rental you see, you don't expect rentals to break down and if they do then the place you got it from sorts it out for you, you get a courtesy car and everything." Face could sense Amy getting edgy beside him as Bowl-head (as Face silently dubbed him) drew his gun but he carried on talking as though he hadn't noticed. "I'm sure the airport must have some sort of breakdown coverage, I mean it must happen all the time, especially in the…"

"Shut up!" Bowl-head pointed his gun at Face through the open window causing Amy to gasp and tense besides him. "We just want the girl."

Face turned to Amy seeing the shock in her expression he knew must be mirrored in his own, why were they after Amy?. He quickly turned back to Bowl-head, none of that mattered now, the situation remained the same no matter who they were after and thankfully the shock that he hadn't been quick enough to mask was a fitting reaction to having a gun thrust in his face.

Bowl-head took a step back, his gun never wavering. "Get out" When Face didn't immediately comply, his expression held in a façade of shock, Bowl-head reached for the door handle. This was the opportunity Face had been waiting for, as soon as Bowl-head moved the gun to open the door fully Face slammed his foot down on the accelerator and sped off backwards down the parking lot with a squeal of tires, much to Bowl-heads surprise. He wasn't surprised for long though as Face heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire and a clunk as the bullet hit the bonnet.

"Stay down!" he shouted at Amy, Face couldn't afford to turn round even for a second to see what was going on in front of the car, not at the speed they were traveling.

"This is your plan!" Amy screeched at him in utter disbelief from as close to the foot-well as she could get and still wear her seatbelt.

"Could you do better?" he shouted back. Actually he thought it was going quite well all considered, even though the open door on Face's side made maneuvering that much more difficult soon they would be far enough away from Bowl-head that he could throw the tiny car into a J-turn and they would be able to speed away. Thank God for airports needing such large parking garages.

A large black Sedan appeared on the right suddenly causing Face to swerve wildly to avoid hitting it, damn holiday makers he thought until he saw two of them lean out of the windows with guns aimed for his car.

"Shit, more goons." Face cursed under his breath. He chanced a glance to the front of the car and swore as he saw them in close pursuit, there was no way he was going to be able to perform a J-turn now and they just didn't have the speed or the maneuverability in reverse to evade them for long. He was going to have to do something and soon.

Face shouted for Amy to hang on as he wrenched the steering wheel round forcing the car to steer violently to the left just as the goons started shooting. A bullet shattered the windscreen and flew into the seat above Amy's crouching form. Face didn't turn round, all his concentration was on the back window, aiming the small car for the down ramp and hopefully the exit. More bullets hit the car, the clunks of metal against metal clear even above the screech of tires and roar of the engines. Face clutched the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, what the hell did these people want?

Suddenly a line of fire erupted across his chest as a bullet scored across his ribs making him loose his grip on the steering wheel as he involuntarily recoiled at the unexpected pain. The small car lurched sideways into a post ripping the open driver's door off in a screech of twisted metal even as he made a lunge for the steering wheel, showering him in shards of mangled door and glass. Face gritted his teeth and pulled with all his might against the steering wheel still trying to get the car down the ramp, groaning as his side angrily protested. Amy shrieked as the wheels found the ramp and the car abruptly dipped backwards but stayed huddled in her seat, not even daring to look out of the shattered windscreen.

Face could see the exit getting closer, in less than a minute they could be outside the garage and somehow they could make their escape. The Sedan weaved around the pieces of door that had crashed to the floor to follow them down the slope causing the two shooters to get thrown about as it raced to catch up. Just then a stray bullet from one of the goons hit the front tire of the little sports car and the steering wheel was torn from Faces hands as the car veered straight into the wall at the side of the lot. The small car smashed into the wall and Face slammed into the steering wheel as the boot crumpled under the blow and ended up half slumped over it only able to watch dazed as the Sedan pulled up in front of the wreck and four men got out.

He heard Amy moving around in the car next to him and then felt her hand gently touch his shoulder. He could have sworn she said his name but it sounded like it was coming from far away and he was distracted by the growing ache in his chest, like a building pressure waiting to burst, Breathe! his mind screamed at him, You've got to breathe!

With conscious effort his mouth flew open and he drew in a great shuddering breath only to start coughing as the cold air hit his lungs. As he drew in breath after breath the ache in his lungs started to subside but his ribs protested angrily then virtually screamed at him as he was bodily hauled from the car by two of the men and was dropped on the pavement at their feet.

He could vaguely hear Amy screaming as she was taken from the car and dragged to the black sedan, fighting every step of the way. Amy, they're after Amy! his fogged brain suddenly shouted at him. He rolled to his hands and knees, stifling a groan at the pain that ripped through his side then somehow staggered to his feet, swaying heavily.

"Look at this, lover boy wants to save his girlfriend, how sweet." Another smoker Face thought before the man punched him hard across his right cheek bone. Face was still too dazed from the accident to even roll with it never mind dodge it; instead he fell to the floor again like a sack of potatoes. He lay there groaning as strangely enough the punch cleared his head a little, maybe if they thought he was hurt worse than he actually was he'd get the opportunity to help Amy.

A sudden kick to his ribs quashed the notion. He tried to curl into a protective ball only to have the man kick him again and then when he curled up kicked him in the back of his rib cage causing him to unfurl once more.

"Remember me Muchacho? Maybe next time you listen when someone with a gun tells you what to do, eh?" Bowl-head was really trying to live up to his image a small part of Face thought absently as he tried not to yell out when he felt ribs grind with each kick but satisfied himself with a small grunt each time the boots made contact; and visions of BA ripping the man's arms off.

"Hey, you two! We've got her, let's go already!" A voice called from the back of the Sedan where they had dragged Amy.

Bowl-head spat on the floor next to Face's prone form and punctuated his sentence with one last kick right where the bullet had sliced across his ribs. "Maybe next time you pay more attention eh!"

Face lay on his side curled around his agony, straining for breath as the two men sauntered away. He had to do something, they were taking Amy, but at the minute he could barely breathe and even if he could move right now they'd only beat him up some more, or worse. He was going to have to wait until they were all in the car then follow them, once he knew where they were going he could contact Hannibal and the team could rescue her.

He pressed a hand against the long slash the bullet had left along his ribcage hissing as it sent rivers of agony shooting across his chest, one of those ribs was definitely cracked but at least the bullet hadn't gone through, just skimmed over the top. A definite bonus considering he was going to have to drive after them for who knows how long.

Face watched as they bundled Amy into the back of the car, a goon on either side of her to prevent her escape. He quickly glanced around the garage, looking for an inconspicuous car he could hotwire and use to tail them, the little sports car was a complete write off. As the doors slammed shut on the Sedan he saw it, an old blue Vauxhall, common enough around these parts and easy to break into, now all he had to do was wait for them to leave and get over to it.

As the sedan began to pull away, Face would have sworn he could see Amy's fear stricken face staring through the window at him and he tried to smile his most confident smile to let her know he had a plan, though when he saw her worried look he wasn't sure how well he managed it. Now was the time he'd have to move, and quickly, not only were Amy's captors getting away but Face was sure he could hear sirens in the distance and the last thing he needed right now was to be picked up by the police.

He pulled himself to his knees, his breath catching painfully as the agony flared across his chest, then steeled himself and forced himself to his feet though he remained hunched over his aching ribs. His vision swam slightly as he staggered over to the Vauxhall, his mind screaming at him to hurry. He reached out a hand to the bonnet just as his legs gave way and he landed in a pain filled crumpled heap next to the front wheel. Pausing only to catch a breath he put his hand under the wheel arch to use as a lever to get him back on his feet, his other clutched across his aching side. As he started to pull himself upright his fingertips brushed against something that wasn't supposed to be there and as he got to his feet and leant against the side of the car for some extra support he pulled it out, hoping against hope.

Face looked in his hand and couldn't believe his luck, luck of the Devil the nuns used to say. There nestled in the palm of his hand was a small plastic box with a magnet on the back used for hiding car keys in the wheel arch, and sure enough, when he flicked the box open, there, nestled inside, was a shiny Vauxhall key.

He unlocked the driver's door and slipped into the seat with a sigh and none of his usual grace. All he could think about was finding Amy and discovering the key like that had saved him valuable minutes getting the door open and hotwiring the car. Face started the engine and sped towards the exit, cursing the time lost in struggling to get across the parking garage to the car, hoping that the Sedan had got held up somehow, almost not believing his eyes when he saw it not more than five cars away, stuck in the queue for the Interstate. Someone up there must like me he mused irreverently, almost chuckling at the thought then wincing as his ribs gave him a warning not to do anything of the sort. He pressed his right hand firmly against the wound in his side as his left held the wheel, groaning as the pain flared for a moment, at least the bleeding seemed to be slowing down. He couldn't help but think whoever it is up there sure had a funny sense of humour but then again maybe it was Amy they liked, she hadn't looked hurt at all.

Suddenly the cars started moving again and he concentrated on following the Sedan onto the Interstate, the hold up caused by someone's car not reacting well to the cold and damp and breaking down at the front of the queue. All he had to do now was keep them in sight until they reached their destination without them realizing he was following. Face shivered in the cold car, not a pleasant experience with bruised ribs and carefully reached forward to turn on the heater, then turned it up to full as nothing seemed to happen. He carefully reached his right hand to cover a vent, grimacing as he saw the glove of blood that stained it red. Barely a breath of warm air escaped the vent, nowhere near enough to dispel the chill in the vehicle but Face decided to leave it on to try and take the edge off and in the vain hope that it might suddenly decide to start working. At least the windscreen wipers work he thought ruefully as the heavens opened once more and he switched them up a notch, then settled in his seat as comfortably as he could without leaning on his left side, readying himself for a long drive and praying Amy was ok.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

How was that? Should I continue? Answers on a postcard please!


	2. Poor Coyote, Now We'll Never know

Disclaimer; I did it, I clicked on e-bay and there they were, I bid and now they're sitting on my shelf, well, small models of them are, I don't own the real A-Team unfortunately but I'll keep looking.

Hi everyone, sorry I couldn't get this out earlier but I wasn't happy with it and I'm still not completely satisfied, but then again I don't think I ever will be. Anyway a big thank you to all my lovely reviewers and I hope I don't disappoint too much. Merry Christmas!

**Poor Coyote, Now We'll Never Know**.

BA shook his head as he heard Murdock cackling at the cartoons in the other room. At least the fool was keeping out of his way since BA had threatened him with the gravy-covered spatula. Without Hannibal and Face there to diffuse his temper and humour Murdock's antics things could get a little strained between them. Though the team was as close as family Murdock couldn't resist winding BA up at almost every opportunity and BA had no control over his temper though he would never actually hurt his lanky friend, well not very much.

He glanced at the timer on the oven and cursed, if they weren't back soon the whole thing was going to be ruined. Hannibal he could understand, a last minute film job filling in cut scenes as a rock monster had called him away a couple of days ago just as they were setting this shindig up, but he had promised to be back tonight and the Colonel always kept his promises, when it mattered at least. But Face and Amy should have been back hours ago, unless her plane had been delayed, though Face would have rung to let them know by now if he was held up at the airport. Unless some pretty thing has turned his head and his mind is on 'other' things, BA shook his head again knowing he was being unfair to the lieutenant. Although Face wasn't the biggest fan of 'family' get-togethers and celebrations he understood how important they were for everyone else and he wouldn't let them down, not even for two pretty things.

BA looked at the clock on the wall and sighed, all his hard work was going to waste. There was a turkey and various vegetables crammed into the oven trying to stay warm and edible whilst other smaller dishes of food had been stacked onto hot plates until the kitchen looked like some strange shrine to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. His mama would have thrown a fit, but then again she would have been so happy see 'her boys' get together to celebrate Thanksgiving that she would have been creating a few towers herself trying to make sure the meal was still good when everyone finally did arrive.

"Aw no! They can't do this to me! The injustice of it all!"

BA sighed and wandered into the lounge wondering what was wrong with the crazy fool this time, hoping Hannibal and Face would get there soon.

"What is it fool?" He vaguely hoped his gruff tone would dissuade Murdock from giving a lengthy answer.

"Me and Billy were just watching some cartoons; man there was this really cool one where the coyote strapped a rocket to his back to catch the roadrunner and I was thinking that next time we need to make a quick escape you could make some sort of rocket and I could wear it and fly about, but without wings you know. But then it blew up so I thought you'd better wear it first to make sure…"

BA stopped listening as a picture of the airport where Face had gone to pick up Amy appeared on the screen.

"Shut up fool and turn it up" he pointed to the TV.

"What for? It's just a stupid news report, they took off my cartoons for this…" he trailed off as he saw the look on BA's face and fumbled for the remote. "What is it BA?"

BA just shushed him and pointed to the screen as the volume came up.

"And now over to Betty Graves, our reporter at the scene."

A thin redhead filled the screen, stood in a parking garage filled with police cars and officers milling around. "Thank you Angela. Earlier today police received reports of shooting in this very parking garage where I am now standing and emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene. Unfortunately the holiday traffic around the airport held the police up so that by the time they arrived the perpetrators had already made their escape.

Evidence of the shooting and apparent car chase can be seen all around the bottom two levels of the garage though. Over to my left are the remains of a Chevrolet sports car, the bonnet riddled with bullet holes and what appears to be blood on the drivers seat."

Murdock and BA froze, their hearts pounding as a picture of the car Face had been driving when he went to pick up Amy appeared on the screen looking small and terribly battered.

"It appears the chase began on the second floor between the Chevrolet and another, as yet unidentified car. Witnesses claim that is where they heard the shooting begin, although other than the perpetrators, no one was actually on the floor at the time and security camera's have yet to be re-installed after the fire last month. Also there are these tire marks leading to the down ramp and here…" She had walked across the garage as she spoke and now stood in front of the down ramp and pointed at some mangled metal. "We can see the remains of the Chevrolet's driver door.

As the chief inspector won't be back until after the holiday weekend and no evidence can be found of who the car belongs to or who, if anyone, was hurt, the Chevrolet will be taken to the police impound until a thorough investigation can be made. Whilst every effort is being made to collect all available evidence form the scene the police do hope to have the car park open again within the next two hours thereby allowing the airport to return to normal and granting the public access to their cars again.

Many people, including some officers I have spoken to, believe that this whole thing has been nothing more than a cleverly staged prank designed to cause the utmost disruption at one of the airport's busiest times. Indeed as no evidence can be found of a driver of the car and there have been no further reports of disturbances of missing persons, and in light of the recent series of thoughtless hooliganism in the town, it can not be discounted as a possibility.

This is Betty Graves reporting for KTM TV; back to you Angela."

The picture on the TV returned to the original thin blond woman sat in a studio. "A more detailed report will be in our 10 o'clock new bulletin and now we'll return to our scheduled programming."

Murdock turned to BA, a stunned expression plastered over his face as the cartoons came back on, the bright images and cheerful brassy sounds appearing incongruous in the aftermath of the news report.

"BA?" His voice was quiet and full of confusion. "Was that Face's car?"

BA stood there staring blankly at the screen for a second, then in a voice that was just as quiet. "Yeah man, I think it was."

"We've got to do something!"

"Yeah but we don't know where he is, or who's taken him, or if anyone's taken him. We need Hannibal man. He should be here by now!" BA started to pace the room. He may have been named Bad Attitude Baracus but when it came to one of his team being hurt or in trouble he was the picture of concern and fiercely protective of them.

Murdock was desperately trying to think of what something they could do. "Listen BA, unless Hannibal knows something about this we don't I reckon he's gonna want to see Face's car at the impound."

BA stopped and thought for a second. "You're right. So if we get ready now we can hustle him out the door as soon as he gets back."

"Right, I'll sort the kitchen, you get the gear."

BA had left the lounge before Murdock was halfway through the sentence, his mind on what tools and other equipment they would need to break into the police impound lot.

Murdock went into the kitchen and began systematically switching off all the appliances. He scooped a finger full of hot mashed potatoes from the side of a bowl but stopped with it halfway to his mouth as his stomach turned over. He couldn't eat, not now, not when Face could be captured, or hurt, or even dead as far as they knew. And all the food sitting around the kitchen was supposed to have been for a Thanksgiving get together for all the team and Amy.

BA had made those mashed potatoes especially for Face. Though he would never admit it he knew that the hot buttery and creamy dish was Face's favourite. In return Face made an effort to be there and to enjoy these few team celebrations they managed to organize, though it was obvious he didn't really want to get involved, didn't like having attention drawn to him when he hadn't drawn it purposefully. He'd once confessed to Murdock, after a bad mission and more than a few too many to drink, how he found it far easier to deal with anger and hatred than concern. Murdock had been so saddened by the revelation that when Face had tried to cover up the next morning he had lied and said he didn't remember much of the previous evening either. Face had never let himself lose that much control again.

"Hey Murdock? Everything ok?" Hannibal had been stood in the kitchen doorway for the last couple of minutes watching Murdock stand there with his finger covered in mashed potatoes halfway to his mouth, seemingly lost in thought. At first he had wondered if Murdock was playing one of his games or pretending to be a statue to annoy BA, but when he saw the look of utter sadness that crossed Murdock's face his heart clenched in concern.

Murdock jumped, startled out of his revere, he hadn't even heard the front door slam.

"Hannibal! Am I glad to see you."

Hannibal couldn't help but think he didn't sound very pleased and frowned when Murdock wiped his hand on a towel then began to switch off appliances as he spoke.

"We need to get going; BA should have everything ready by now. Don't worry he'll have everything we need."

"Murdock! What's going on? Go where?" Hannibal interrupted the stream of words and firmly planted his feet as Murdock tried to hustle him out of the door.

"I'll explain in the van, we've got to go!"

"Murdock." Hannibal was not amused and his tone held more than an ounce of threat behind it.

Murdock sighed and moved round to look in his Colonels eyes.

"We think something's happened to Face and Amy. There was a news bulletin of a shooting in the airport car park, the airport where Amy's plane landed. No one has been reported hurt or even arrested but Face's car was involved and it's been taken to the police impound. Face hasn't called in since he left to pick up Amy and we thought that as soon as you got back you'd want to see his car. We didn't know what else to do." Murdock tried to be as brief and unemotional as possible.

Hannibal glanced at his watch noting how long it had been since Amy's plane had landed before turning and striding out of the door, his mind a whirl but managing to keep his calm exterior. He turned his head slightly in the direction of Murdock who was following close behind.

"All the details Captain, I want to know everything you know." His voice was gruff and unforgiving.

"Yes sir." Murdock muttered sadly pausing only to shut and lock the front door as they hurried out to BA and the waiting van.

The front of the police station was bustling as BA drove past, busy even late on Thanksgiving weekend.

"Try the next side street BA." Hannibal's voice broke the silence that had filled the van as soon as Murdock and BA had recounted the news story as best they could. Neither man wanted to worry or hurt the colonel but it was vital he knew everything they did, and when BA had mentioned the police finding bloodstains on the drivers seat Murdock had watched Hannibal's jaw clench on his unlit cigar though he gave no other sign of the turmoil he felt inside.

Since then each man had been lost in his own thoughts. BA concentrated on his driving, trying to keep his mind focused. He saw no point in worrying about what might or might not be but his hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter with every minute that passed. Hannibal was trying to come up with a plan but without knowing who had taken Face there was little he could do but wait until they got to the impound lot and hope for a clue. Part of the trouble was they had made so many enemies over the years but he had never dreamed that anyone would have been able to trace them here. They had been so careful to keep a low profile and pay for everything legitimately, as they always did with their safe houses so no one could trace them. That led to the uncomfortable thought that whoever had Face had stumbled across him accidentally which started the whole process of who it could be all over again.

Murdock spent the entire journey with his back resolutely turned to the empty chair beside him as if it was the cause of all their woes. He didn't like not knowing what was going on, it made him feel his grip on reality was even more tenuous than usual. Face was his best friend, they looked out for each other, Murdock needed him. He closed his eyes and willed Face to be okay.

BA parked the van in the shadows opposite the impound lot and the three men quietly studied the fence from its dark interior.

"Murdock, you and I'll scale that fence and look for Face's car, bring the wire cutters just in case, but I'd rather not let anyone know we've been here. BA, you stay here on look out in case Face phones in. You know what to do if someone comes by or we get caught. We'll take the radio's, channel 5, but only in an emergency, ok?

BA wanted to protest about being left behind but he knew someone had to be there in case Face made contact, and besides that, scaling fences wasn't exactly his forte.

"Yeah Hannibal, you be careful."

Hannibal looked him in the eye and nodded his head once before silently slipping out of the van to join Murdock who was gathering flashlights and weapons from their secure trunk in the back.

Murdock passed Hannibal a flashlight and a radio and after quickly checking they were both working they silently jogged across the quiet road to the chain link fence surrounding the police impound lot. Murdock peered into the unlit lot but it appeared to be deserted.

"I can't see anyone Hannibal. There's two cameras but both point towards the station, we should be fine in the shadows. " Though he whispered his voice seemed to echo in the near silence covering the impound.

"Right, I'll go first, you keep an eye out."

They had checked for more surveillance cameras as they drove past and even though they hadn't seen any they still kept to the darkest corner of the fence to give them some protection from prying eyes. Murdock heard the fence rattle softly as Hannibal scaled it, then the soft thud of his boots hitting the ground. He didn't turn to see but kept his position looking for signs that anyone had noticed their presence.

Hannibal crouched behind one of the cars in the lot, hidden in the shadows it cast and after scanning the lot again turned to Murdock on the other side of the fence.

"Right Captain."

Murdock checked his flashlight and radio were secure then began to scale the fence, flipped over the top and dropped to the floor on the other side with a soft thud. He quickly crouch-jogged into the shadow of a car and looked to Hannibal for instructions. Hannibal scanned the lot once more then motioned for Murdock to follow him and together they crept out of their dark corner to search for Face's car.

The impound lot wasn't very large but was packed full of cars of all shapes and sizes in various states of repair. Over in the far corner were three large sheds which they could only assume were used for thoroughly examining cars involved in suspicious activity. Hannibal could only hope the police had positioned Face's car near to them for when the inspector returned, otherwise they would have a lot of searching to do in the dark.

Their feet were silent on the tarmac as they darted from one car to another until they finally reached the first of the sheds. Up close they were smaller than they had first appeared having only enough room inside for one large car and the equipment needed to inspect it. Hannibal gestured for Murdock to stay where he was and peered inside but it was empty. Cursing under his breath he motioned to the other man and they moved onto the second shed, each step taking them closer to the actual building of the police station. All it would need was for someone to switch on the outside lights and they would be completely exposed.

Quickly they reached the second shed and slid around the corner of it, out of sight of the police station. Once again Hannibal crept round to peer into its gloomy interior whilst Murdock watched his back. This time the shed was occupied by the remains of a car though Hannibal couldn't see much of it and couldn't be sure it was what they were looking for as he hadn't seen Face's replacement before he had been called away for filming. Silently he crept back out of the shed to Murdock's position.

"Well Colonel?" Murdock had lowered his voice even more until it was barely audible in the stillness.

"There's a car in there but it's pretty beat up. You think you would recognize it if it's Face's?"

Murdock swallowed at the thought of the badly damaged car and what that could mean for Face but nodded his head and crept into the shed with Hannibal close behind.

Even with the back smashed in Murdock thought it looked like Face's car but there was only one way he could be sure. He grabbed his flashlight and showed it to Hannibal so the other man knew what he was about to do. The only windows in the shed were at the very top of the walls so as long as he angled the beam down no light should be seen. Bright metallic blue paintwork flashed back at him and he closed his eyes for a second before turning to Hannibal and whispering.

"It's his."

Hannibal managed to retain his calm expression though he could feel his jaw clench as Murdock confirmed the wreck had been Face's car.

"Ok. You take the back, I'll take the front. Anything out of the ordinary let me know; and check for Amy's luggage."

Murdock nodded again, not fully trusting his voice to conceal the turbulence he felt inside and moved to the back of the car. He shone the flashlight over the battered remains, noting Hannibal's flashlight sweeping over the front of the car out of the corner of his eye. The back of the small car had crumpled in towards the drivers and passenger seats, now nothing more than a tangle of twisted metal and wires, the boot lid hanging listlessly from one hinge at an awkward angle. Something bugged him about the boot, something that wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on what it could be so he left the thought to mull over in the back of his mind, hoping it would develop if he didn't push it and shone the light inside the boot. There were no bags inside but he got as close as he could to inspect the interior, hoping for a clue.

Hannibal's flashlight swept over the incongruously long bonnet of the tiny sports car, pausing over a line of bullet holes that led up to the driver's side of the window as he walked around the front of the car. He grimaced as he saw how the driver's door had been torn away then shone the light inside the car for a closer look.

Broken pieces of windscreen and shards of metal littered the inside of the car though both the driver's and passenger's seats appeared to be intact. The driver's seatbelt caught Hannibal's attention straight away as it lay on the seat in two pieces. Whilst it appeared the passenger had been able to unbuckle their seatbelt whoever had been in the drivers seat had had to cut them self free or had been cut free from the restraint.

Hannibal had to force himself not to jump to conclusions; even though Face had probably been driving he didn't want to assume anything. To assume one possibility as the truth meant dismissing another, and that could be deadly.

That was when he saw the dark stain on the cream leather of the driver's seat. Hannibal swallowed, took a deep breath to steady himself then moved closer for a better look. Halfway down the left side of the seat was a bullet hole surrounded by a spray of dried blood. There were smears of blood over the rest of the seat and when he looked there were blurred hand shapes on the steering wheel.

It looked as though the bullet had either skimmed or passed straight through the driver. Judging from the amount of blood Hannibal thought it had skimmed the person driving but whilst he hoped Face was ok he also tried to prepare himself for worst case scenarios.

Another flashlight shone across his eyes making him jump and for a brief second he thought the police had caught them until he realized it was only Murdock across the other side of the car.

"Jeeze, will you look at that." The beam stopped on a bullet hole high in the back of the passenger seat. "Looks like it missed." Murdock knew as well as Hannibal the signs of a hit inside a car, something neither of them wanted to see again. "Find anything?"

Hannibal debated whether or not to tell him about the bullet hole and the blood but practicality won out. The more they knew the better the position they were in, and Murdock had already heard on the news that there was blood in the car.

"Nothing to indicate where they might be but…"

"Is that the blood?" He was interrupted as Murdock shone the torch on to the driver's seat.

"Yeah, doesn't look like there's too much though."

They were both silent for a moment before Hannibal shook himself mentally, they didn't have time for this.

"Nothing else here, what about the boot?"

Murdock tore his eyes away from the dark stains to look at Hannibal. "If there were any bags I think they've been taken."

"The police?"

"Nah, I think whoever was chasing them jimmied it open after the smash." Hannibal signaled for him to move to the back of the car so he could see for himself what Murdock was talking about.

"I was thinking that when the car smashed into the wall the boot would have been jammed shut, but on the news report the car was away from the wall and you can see here where the boot lid has been wrenched away. I'm thinking the police wouldn't want to do that until the inspector got back in case they destroyed any evidence."

Hannibal studied the open boot for a second, running possible scenarios through his mind then clapped Murdock on the shoulder. "You're probably right Captain, lets head back to the van, there's nothing more to find here."

Murdock nodded his head reluctantly, his hopes of finding a clue as to Face and Amy's whereabouts dashed. He flicked off his flashlight and silently followed the older man back out into the impound lot.

BA sat impatiently in the van and looked at his watch for the twentieth time that minute. The two men seemed to have been gone for hours even though only fifteen minutes had passed since they had scaled the fence. He glared at the car phone again, willing Face to call and say it had all been a big misunderstanding, someone had stolen his car and he and Amy were stuck at the airport, but the phone remained resolutely silent. Briefly he wondered if it was broken, if he should pick it up to check though he was loathe to do so in case Face should chose that exact moment to try and contact the team, then berated himself for the foolish thoughts. He really wasn't very good at waiting.

Finally he saw Hannibal and Murdock scale the fence and silently jog across the road towards him, Hannibal had barely climbed into the van when he could hold it in no longer.

"Well, did you find anything?"

Murdock paused in the act of putting the flashlights and other equipment away to hear Hannibal's reply.

"We found the car and it's pretty smashed up, bullet holes in the bonnet, driver's door missing, back end crumpled, but no clues. It looks like they even pried open the boot to take out any bags before the police got there."

"But what about the blood? The news report said there was blood on the driver's seat."

Hannibal chewed on the end of an unlit cigar for a moment. "There was some blood, but not a lot. Certainly not enough to indicate a serious injury; plus we don't know whose blood it is."

"Nah man, Face wouldn't let anyone else drive his car and you know it."

"BA there are a lot of things going on that we don't know."

"So what do we do now then?"

"Now…" Hannibal paused as if searching for a way to break the news. "Now we go back to the apartment and wait."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**I know it's naff, really I do, but it's the best I can do at the mo and I'm working on the nextchapter which does have Face in itso don't be too harsh on me, unless you're really bored and have nothing better to do of course.**


	3. Armani Bandages

**Disclaimer: I don't own the real A-team but I put the models on my shelf next to my stereo and the blasted thing stopped working. The guy at the repair shop said it was almost as if someone had been removing parts for other projects? I didn't want to take any chances so the entire team is now securely blue-tacked to my shelf so there's no chance of escape! (If only Decker had had blue-tack) **A true story for Hecate Triformis

Hey guys, I'm sorry for the oh so long wait. I absolutely hate it when people do that! I'm a bad bad person but I wont bore you with the details of my monotonous yet strangely busy life except to say a big thank you to all my reviewers. Your support means a lot. Oh, and I'll try to do better with Ch4 :)

**Oh, and before I forget, there's some blood and a swear word! You've been warned**

**Armani Bandages**

Face watched as the Sedan pulled up at the end of the long gravel driveway and the goons got out, dragging Amy with them. Even from where he was stopped Face could see her fight and kick at them but her struggles went unnoticed by the much larger men.

It had taken over two hours to reach the desolate house set in acres of woodland, the same woodland which was now hiding Face's stolen car from view at the end of the driveway. The house was old and large with a winding driveway and gardens surrounded by a high brick wall. Luckily the gates were ornamental cast iron which, though strong, also provided plenty of gaps to see through and whoever owned the property hadn't thought to place security this far out. Closer to the house security was another story entirely. In the brief time Face had been watching he had seen four men armed with automatic weapons each doing separate circuits of the house. One of them even had dogs with him.

Face slammed his fist against the steering wheel in frustration, he wanted nothing more than to bust in there right now and get Amy out but he knew he was well overdue for a check-in with the rest of the team and if something should happen to him no one would know where Amy was, not until her body turned up somewhere he thought morbidly. His only option was to phone the team and let them know what had happened and where Amy was being held, he'd seen too many missions go wrong and too many people killed through lack of information and he was damned if he'd let that happen to Amy.

Face slipped the car into gear, careful to leave the headlights switched off and not rev the engine before slowly driving away from the house back down the rough dirt track. He could only pray that Amy would be ok until he returned to get her out of there.

Once the house had completely disappeared into the trees behind Face risked the headlights and sped as fast as he dared down the roughly carved road to the highway. The car bounced over tree roots and rocks he wasn't quick enough to avoid, jarring his sore ribs mercilessly but he didn't allow the pain to distract him and kept both hands firmly on the wheel as he fought for control. Finally the trees began to thin and the track turned to gravel as it neared the highway. When he had followed the Sedan down the highway earlier a small part of Face's brain couldn't help but note how few other cars there were using it, which had made his job of following unnoticed all the more difficult, now, as Face swung the car onto the tarmac, it appeared completely deserted, he couldn't see a car in either direction, but that suited him just fine.

As soon as the car was speeding along the smooth surface towards the old Gas Station they had passed on the way Face allowed himself the liberty of removing his right hand from the wheel to cradle his aching side. The bleeding had appeared to stop earlier but all the bouncing around had pulled the long cut open again and Face grimaced as he felt the sticky blood seeping onto his hand. His thoughts were elsewhere though, not on his pain or his driving, not even on the rest of the team but on Amy. His entire being was focused on praying that his failure to protect her wouldn't cost her her life.

Face felt like he'd been driving for an eternity before the old gas station finally appeared. Whilst the pumps were still in use during the day the small diner attached to the side was boarded up and derelict and the entire place had an abandoned feel to it, but it did have a payphone on the wall just by the door to the outside washroom.

Face pulled the car into a dark corner on the same side of the empty lot as the payphone, avoiding the few dim lights around the pumps and waited for a minute before getting out of the car. Although every fiber of his being seemed to be screaming at him to hurry he knew how important appearances could be and nothing would draw the attention quite like a car screeching to a halt by the payphones and a panicked man rushing out to use them before speeding away again in a cloud of dust. No he had to play this just right, wait long enough so it didn't appear he was in a hurry but no so long it would cause suspicion, it also gave him some time to glance over the place, which was all to the good in Face's opinion. Even goons had to get their petrol from somewhere.

Luckily there didn't appear to be anyone around, though as Face knew from experience you could never tell who might be watching you from the shadows, and the illusion had to be maintained. Slowly and as casually as possible he opened the driver's door and got out of the car. Pain lanced through his side as his ribs screamed at him for the sudden change in position and he had to lean against the car as dizziness assaulted him and his vision swam. Only years of experience, years of hiding his pain, enabled him to keep from clutching at his chest and uphold a neutral expression.

After spending a couple of minutes pretending he was having trouble locking the drivers door the pain subsided to a more bearable level as his body got used to the new position and he casually jammed his left hand in his trouser pocket so he could keep his arm pressed against his aching ribs and to cover the hole in his shirt the bullet had torn. BA had laughed at him this morning when he had put on his "fancy" black shirt just to pick Amy up but Face had just ignored the other man, you never knew who you might meet at an airport. He'd never dreamed he'd be glad it didn't show bloodstains.

Face sauntered over to the payphones, eternally grateful for the roll of quarters he always carried in case of emergencies as well as various other monies secreted about his person, and leant on the wall next to the last of the three telephones, the only one that looked like it might still work. The short walk had taxed him far more than he was willing to admit but he didn't allow himself to think about it, he had more important things to think about.

He reached for the receiver and cursed softly when the dial tone was crackled and intermittent and glanced at the other two, the one directly next to him was covered in graffiti and looked as though someone had beaten it with a tire wrench until the quarters fell out but still looked better than the one furthest away which didn't even have a receiver anymore. He replaced his handset and reached for the one next to his grimacing when a blob of chewing gum stuck to his fingers though it was quickly forgotten when he heard a beautifully clear tone from the abused machine. With a bit of time he could probably have patched the other phone up so it worked, but it was time he'd rather not waste if he didn't have to. He quickly dialed the number of their current safe-house and waited impatiently for someone to answer with his quarter poised over the slot.

Finally a voice came through.

"Luigi's Pizzeria, tonight's special pepperoni thick crust with salad only…"

Face couldn't help but smile at Hannibal's beloved Italian accent as he let go of the quarter and heard it rattle into the bowels of the machine before interrupting the other man.

"Hannibal, it's Face."

"Lieutenant, where the hell have you been? Report!"

Face felt a wave of relief wash over him that it had been Hannibal to answer the phone, this way he could stick to the facts and wouldn't have to repeat himself. Hannibal had a kind of photographic memory when it came to listening to people, something that had landed Face in trouble on more than one occasion. BA would have been far too angry with him to listen to what he was saying, though Face knew it was a cover for his concern over everyone's wellbeing, and Murdock would been far too twitchy and acting like a giant mother hen which Face just couldn't cope with right now.

"Colonel I'm about 45 kilometers away from Blossom Farm in Greymist Woods at that old abandoned gas station that Murdock wanted to adopt. Amy's being held in a house about 30 kilometers due South from here, down a dirt track off the highway. I need you to come and pick us up after I get her out of there…"

"Hold on a minute Face." Hannibal's mind was reeling; someone had taken Amy? He'd been caught off guard by his own assumption, after all the times he'd warned the team how deadly they could be. "You're not going anywhere until I get the full story." He put a hand over the mouth piece and hollered into the room behind him, "BA, Murdock, get ready, we're moving out ASAP." then turned his attention back to Face. "Now Lieutenant, explain to me what's going on."

Face was torn, part of him was relieved that they were on their way but a bigger part of him despaired over the amount of time it would take to tell Hannibal what had happened, time that could better spent trying to rescue Amy.

"Hannibal there's no time, I've got to get her out of there!" he blurted it out before he could stop himself.

"Make time Lieutenant. There's no way I'm rushing in blind."

Even at this distance from the man Face winced as he imagined Hannibal glaring down the phone. It was no good arguing with him when he was in full blown Colonel mode, which happened every time he was worried or angry, not that anyone would tell him that, not if they wanted to see the sunrise ever again.

"There was a trap set in the airport parking lot. Amy and I managed to get to the car without any trouble but then this goon appeared and demanded Amy go with him. I'm sorry Colonel but I froze, I hadn't expected that, I…I assumed they were after me. I tried to drive my way out of there but more men appeared and they managed to shoot out one of my tires and I lost control of the car and crashed it into a wall. They bundled Amy into the back of a black Sedan before I could stop them so I stole a car and followed. This is the first chance I've had to phone in."

Face tried to keep his voice as unemotional as possible, to just tell Hannibal the facts and keep the enormous guilt he felt at failing Amy so badly locked inside, though he had to make sure the other man knew who was to blame.

"It's my fault Hannibal. If I hadn't assumed they were after me I wouldn't have wasted time being shocked and I could have got her out of there!"

"Hang on a minute Face, I think it was a valid assumption to make. We've been chased that many times that we're all a little paranoid and rightly so. Now you said shots were fired, were you or Amy hit?" Hannibal knew Face would be beating himself up over this. He'd always place the blame on anyone else for all the little things that went wrong but as soon as something serious happened he'd find a way to blame himself no matter the circumstances.

"I don't think Amy was hurt but they bundled her away so damn fast I can't be positive." Face's control broke slightly and his voice wavered as he spoke, he hadn't really thought that Amy could have been shot.

"What about you Face? Are you okay?"

The Colonel's tinny voice broke into his thoughts and he replied automatically. "What? Me, no I'm fine."

"Face." Hannibal's voice held more than an ounce of threat in it, enough to bring Face back to the present.

"Hannibal we don't have time for this, I need to get her out, what if she's hurt?" Hs voice wavered again as he became more and more agitated. He didn't know how he hadn't thought about this sooner; she could be dying whilst he was chatting to the Colonel, if she wasn't dead already that small part of his mind that refused to shut up added.

"Face, we're on our way now and you're not to do anything until we get there, understood?" Hannibal decided not to mention the blood he'd seen in the car until he could see Face's reaction face to face as it were. The kid wouldn't be able to hide it as well then as he could over the phone, not from him anyway, he'd had to learn the few "tells" the other man had quickly though he'd never told the others. Murdock didn't need to know anyway, he always seemed to know when Face was hiding something. Face would never admit being hurt, not like this and pushing him for an answer would only make him pull further away. Orders on the other hand should never have to be pushed.

"Lieutenant! Understood?" His voice was steely and hard even as he winced inside at what Face must be going through but he had to think of the whole team. They stood a far better chance of getting Amy out of there as a team and if the unthinkable had happened and Amy was dead, his mind wanted to shy away from the idea but he forced himself to think it through, then they would all be there to avenge her as a team and not just Face on a one man crusade. This whole situation reminded him of that terrible time in Chicago were Face had almost got himself killed. A memory Hannibal was determined not to relive.

"Yes Colonel, understood sir!"

Hannibal frowned at the barked reply so unlike Face's usual tone but ploughed on, convinced he was doing the right thing.

"We'll get her back."

"Yes sir!"

He sighed inwardly; to say that Face in soldier mood annoyed him would be a vast understatement. He opened his mouth to say something else, something that would get through to Face but could think of nothing that wouldn't sound like a platitude. Face knew the situation better than he did at the minute and every minute wasted here was time better spent on the road getting to Face's position.

"We won't be long kid, sit tight."

"Yes sir, will do!" Face replied in a monotone voice that he knew Hannibal loathed. The Colonel had never wanted them to be toy soldiers doing his every bidding without question or comment but he did expect obedience when an order was given unless there was a damn good reason, something that involved an act of God or an alien invasion, anything less than that and it would take an act of God to save you. Face couldn't help using the tone though, it was either that or start yelling down the phone, but that wouldn't do anyone any good, this wasn't anyone's fault but his own and the Colonel was right, they did stand a far better chance of getting her out of there as a team.

He suddenly realized he still had the receiver pressed to his ear and had been listening to the dial tone for a good few minutes whilst his brain ran in circles. He leant forward to replace the receiver whilst a small voice in his head asked what am I going to do now? Face hissed as the movement pulled his side and instinctively pressed a hand over the wound, grimacing at the feel of the cotton that had stiffened with his blood, blood that was still leaking from the reopened wound.

He glanced around and saw the door to the WC just to his right, if the door was unlocked he could try and clean himself up a bit before the rest of the team arrived, and if it was locked, well, he'd just have to unlock it, discreetly of course.

Face sauntered over to the door, careful not to hunch over his aching side, and twisted the handle, sighing with relief when it opened. He really didn't feel like picking a lock at the moment. Truth be told he was beginning to feel a little light headed. Now that he knew the rest of the team were on their way the adrenalin which had been keeping him going for so long seemed to be wearing off and every little ache and pain was beginning to let itself be known. He slipped into the dimly lit room; quickly checking it was empty, and slowly made his way over to the old sink unit. He hadn't felt this bad in quite a while.

The bare light bulb flickered uncertainly as Face leant against the wall with a sigh and turned on the tap, waiting until it ran hot before plugging the sink. The small room was dank and the cubicle door hung uneasily from one hinge to reveal a WC that had seen far better days. The window had been bricked in, probably when the diner had been built next door and the wires to the light bulb were tacked haphazardly to the walls and ceiling, a job never finished. Cracked wall tiles made sinister patterns in the gloom but if he was honest it appeared reasonably clean and he'd been in far worse places.

Still clutching his throbbing ribs with his right hand Face reached out with his left and wiped the steam from the mirror before wincing at the image revealed. Sweat drenched hair clung to a pale and equally sweaty forehead marred by a long cut above his eyebrow and various other scratches from when the car door was ripped off. A deep bruise was blossoming on his cheek bone courtesy of Bowl-head, as no doubt was the split lip he hadn't even noticed till now. His act outside to pretend everything was normal had been a complete and utter waster of time. One look at him and people would be calling the police.

Face shook his head ruefully then clutched at the sink unit as the movement made his head swim and leant back against the wall with his eyes closed until the feeling subsided. If Hannibal saw him now he'd never let Face join in the rescue. He'd squeeze him for information then order him to stay behind; a situation Face was not willing to accept. At least he had some time to try and sort himself out before they arrived; he just hoped Amy had the time to spare.

He unbuttoned his shirt and carefully shrugged out of it, wincing as the movement caused his various aches to renew their clamor for attention. And that was just the easy one, the ever so helpful voice announced. He still had to take off his tee-shirt, had to somehow pull it over his head without passing out. This was not going to be fun.

Carefully he wedged his back in the corner between the sink unit and the wall so that if he did start to feel faint at least he shouldn't crack his head open as he fell, and pulled the black cotton tee from where it was tucked in the waistband of his slacks. Not giving himself time to think he swiftly pulled the top over his head in one relatively smooth movement, unable to hold back a groan as his ribs seemed to grate against each other. He dropped the tee next to the sink and stood with his head bowed, shuddering as the cold night air assaulted him, waiting until the pain became bearable once more.

Long minutes passed until his body decided that passing out might not be the best course of action and the spinning sensation subsided once more as the fire in his side burnt down to a dull roar. Face slowly raised his head to stare into the mirror at the battered body that he could vaguely recognize as his from 24 hours ago.

His chest was covered in bruises. The steering wheel had left a long curved line that was slowly turning purple across the centre of his chest from where he had slammed into it. On either side there were less defined but equally painful bruises left by the goons when they had dragged him from the car. Face even thought he could see tread marks on one of them and peered into the mirror for a better look, almost chuckling when he thought a brand name or shoe size could be imprinted on his chest. A definite talking point for the ladies.

He ignored all of that as he finally took a good look at the wound the bullet had made in his side. He could do nothing about the bruises now anyway, rest was probably the best treatment for them but until Amy was safe he was not going to stop for anything.

The long jagged tear cut deeply into the flesh on top of his ribs in a diagonal line longer than his hand. The gunman must have been leaning out of the Sedan and aiming down at them in the much shorter Chevrolet as the wound was higher at the front of his chest than where it tailed off on his side. The whole area was red and angry looking and blood still oozed lazily from the deepest parts. Tentatively he touched the front most edge with his finger, biting back a gasp as even that small touch threatened to steal his breath away. How did he always manage to get himself in these situations.

Face picked up his tee shirt from where he had dropped it next to the sink and tore it into long strips before dropping them into the basin of hot water. Carefully and trying to bend as little as possible he began washing the strips as best he could before wringing them out and refilling the sink with clean water. He wedged himself back in the corner where he could easily reach the sink, grabbed one of the smaller strips and dunked it in the water, taking a deep breath to prepare himself for what was to come.

The feel of the wet cotton was agonizing against the jagged cut as he tried to clean it and a groan escaped his clenched teeth as he slowly began to wash the blood away. Face scowled at his reflection as fresh blood oozed from the open wound, brought on by his not so careful ministrations, if he was honest it probably needed stitches but he had neither the time nor the equipment to try that now, and it was hardly one of his favorite pastimes. But getting shot at is? That little voice was getting decidedly annoying.

He dropped the cloth back in the water and rinsed it out before continuing to clean the angry looking cut. He couldn't stitch it but he could tape it closed as a temporary measure as he'd had to do once or twice in the past, another fun experience he was only too glad to have to repeat. First he had to get it as clean as possible though every touch of the damp cloth caused bolts of pain to shoot through his chest. Finally he decided he'd had enough, either it was clean or it wasn't but he couldn't take anymore and collapsed back against the wall with trembling knees and hung his head, panting for breath. It was all he could do to remain upright.

Gradually the pain receded to a bearable level and he raised his head to stare at his reflection once more. He fumbled in his pocket for the roll of tough plastic tape he always carried with him; he must have used it a thousand times for hundreds of different things however he didn't think it had been created with amateur doctoring in mind. Then again, you never knew with these kinds of things and it worked reasonably well, despite the fact that it hurt like hell when you had to take it off. Grabbing some paper towels he carefully dried the skin around the wound, tore off a piece of tape and pinched the edges of the wound together. A moan escaped him as he placed the tape across the wound, pressing it onto the surrounding skin to ensure it stuck. Tearing off a new piece of tape, he wiped off the excess blood and repeated the procedure along the wound leaving a small area between each strip of tape to allow for movement and let the skin breathe. He'd found out the hard way that if you didn't you had to peel it all off and start again.

Not pausing he folded a couple of the strips into a rough pad and used the remaining pieces to hold it in place over the taped cut effectively binding a few of his sore ribs in the process. Then he stretched the tape around his chest on top of the cloth bindings to ensure everything would hold together and for some extra support. He almost laughed when he saw his handiwork in the mirror; he looked like an extra from one of Hannibal's worst films. At least now though he should be able to convince the Colonel he was ok, once he'd cleaned some of the blood off his face and put his shirt back on. Hopefully the team would be too distracted by rescuing Amy to worry about him.

Face picked up his former fancy black shirt and carefully pulled it on over his makeshift bandages. Part of him wished he could wash all the blood out of it, but he was already shivering from the cold and his jacket had been in the Chevrolet, wearing a wet shirt certainly wouldn't help matters.

Using the last scraps of cloth he leant forward to peer into the mirror once more and made an effort to look presentable. The Team needed to see him as the Face-man, he needed them to believe he was cool, calm, and completely in control, and the Face-man would never have blood smeared across his cheek or have his hair plastered to his forehead. He cleaned himself up as best he could, washing the blood off his face and smoothing his hair back into something resembling normality. There was no hiding he'd been roughed up but at least now he shouldn't cause too much alarm and should be able to present a façade of being ok.

Face checked his watch for the hundredth time. He knew they were coming as fast as they could but the waiting was killing him, he just hoped it wasn't killing Amy. The sound of an engine brought him out of his reverie and he glanced at his watch again; not even BA could have driven here that fast. Getting up from the wall where he was leant he made his way to the door and stopped with his hand inches from the handle as he heard voices outside. Unless Murdock and Hannibal were practicing their accents he was in serious trouble.

"…seen that car before!"

"Nah man, I'm telling you, Vauxhalls are popular over here. Anyway no one even knows we are here"

"Really? What about her boyfriend!"

"She said she just met him on the plane and he was giving her a lift."

"I suppose you could be right, besides, no one gets up from one of Raoul's punches. "

Face could almost hear the other man roll his eyes.

"Whatever man. I've gotta take a leak."

Face stepped back from the door, cursing under his breath when he realized he'd backed himself into a corner. There was no where to go and no where to hide. He had to think of something and quick. He took a deep breath and ran through his options, ever aware of the approaching footsteps. There was no lock on this side of the door and no way to wedge it shut, the cubicle was falling apart and likely where the man was headed anyway, the window was bricked shut and there were absolutely no convenient hatches or air conditioning vents. The only thing he could think of was a long shot at best, and possibly deadly for both him and Amy if it went wrong.

"Jay…?"

The footsteps stopped as the goon paused to talk to his partner and Face sprang into action. He silently ran over to the still full sink and turned the taps on so that it began to overflow, then adjusted the old mirror so that it reflected the door from inside the cubicle all the while straining to keep an ear on the conversation outside.

"What now Raoul?" Jay's exasperation was clear even through the door.

"The bonnet on this car, it is warm!"

Face turned off the light and stood in the ever growing puddle to reach the light bulb, groaning quietly as the movement pulled against his aching side. Removing the bulb he grabbed the socket and pulled it and the wire from where they had been loosely attached to the ceiling, silently cursing at the small popping sounds of the clips coming free.

"The car that has probably been stood in the sun all day?"

"But it is winter!"

"Raoul, the sun still shines in winter. Now I'm going to the john and I don't want to hear another word from you until I'm done."

Quickly Face wrenched the cable from the plastic socket in his hand revealing the bare wire that had made the connection, jumped up to balance on the toilet just out of sight of the entrance and threw the wires into the puddle just as the door began to open. He crouched there, trying to breathe quietly through the pain that shot up and down his side from his sudden movements, hoping against hope that it would work.

"Aw man!"

"Jay? You ok?" Raoul shouted from outside.

"Yeah, some a-hole left the sink over running; I'll be out in a minute."

Face couldn't help but hold his breath as he watched the backlit silhouette of the man reach for the light switch in the old mirror. There was absolutely no back up plan if this didn't work and there were just too many things that could go wrong.

Just as the switched clicked into place their eyes met in the mirror.

"What the…" the sentence trailed off into a deep gurgling sound as his body went rigid then spasmed uncontrollably before the light short circuited and all power was lost. Face watched in the reflection as even the outside lights flickered before going out completely as the goon slumped to the ground.

"Jay!"

Face silently lowered himself to the floor behind the cubicle door, sending up an entreaty that this part of the plan would work out as well as the other had. As soon as he heard Raoul rush into the room he tried to judge when the goon would reach the cubicle and kicked the wobbling door as hard as he could into the other man.

Face crashed to the floor as the goon did the same on the other side of the precariously swaying door. He hadn't been prepared for the agony the move would cause, stealing his breath away and making his knees buckle. Pain flowed in waves across his chest making him feel nauseous as he pressed his arm against his side trying to ease the pain and gasping for air. Slowly he became aware of a groaning noise from behind the door and realized that Raoul must still be conscious.

Leaning against the wall and still cradling his agonizing ribs Face managed to lever himself to his feet once more. He stifled a groan as his senses were almost overloaded with the pain and somehow managed to shuffle into the main room. There, lying on his side, moaning and clutching at his bloodied face lay Raoul, better known as Bowl Head.

Staggering towards the fallen man Face felt a wave of anger wash over him. These were the men who had stopped him from helping Amy. The men who had threatened her with a gun. The men who had taken her away to who knows what fate. He knew it was irrational to hold the goons responsible but as he knelt down next to the prone body his pain was forgotten as he drew all his anger into a solid punch to the mans jaw that knocked him senseless.

"No one gets up from one of Templeton Peck's punches Shithead"

The goon had been so wrapped up in his broken nose hadn't even had chance to react.

Face slumped back against the wall, holding his side once more as the anger receded and the pain returned. Softly he cursed under his breath. The goons showing up had changed everything. If they were expected back at the house then Amy could be in even worse trouble when they didn't show up.

He closed his eyes as he rested his head back against the cool tiles and sent up a brief prayer that she was still alive, not even noticing as his clothes began to soak up the water from the still overflowing sink. Somehow he was going to have to get her out of there before the goons were missed and that meant leaving now.

Hannibal was not going to be happy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Such a long wait and that's all you get :( Thanks if you ploughed your way through, what can I say except I'll try and do better in the future both time and content wise.


	4. Getting Plastered

Disclaimer: You'll be glad to know the blue tack is still holding, though the language coming from them is digusting, enough to make a girl blush!

AN: Sorry for the long wait folks, it was supposed to have been posted two weeks ago and has just been brought to my attention that for some reason it didn't download :(

Getting Plastered

The rumble of distant thunder jolted Face from his daze and he shuddered involuntarily as a gust of cold air billowed through the open doorway chilling him in his wet clothes. The full moon shone brightly through a gap in the storm clouds highlighting the three prone men, only one of which would be walking, or at least staggering away from here any time soon.

Jay – or Electrogoon, as Face would always remember him, was lying unmoving in a crumpled heap where he had fallen earlier though whether or not he was still alive Face didn't know and couldn't summon the energy to care. Raoul on the other hand was definitely still alive judging from the disgusting gurgling noises coming from his broken nose with each breath the unconscious man took.

Face ran a slightly trembling hand through his already disheveled hair then, using the wall at his back, levered himself back to his feet, clutching tightly to his throbbing side. The room began to dim as the approaching storm clouds blocked some of the moons light and Face knew he would have to move quickly before it got too dark to see in the tiny room.

He fumbled in his pocket for the roll of plastic tape as he stumbled over to kneel between the bodies of the two men then roughly pushed Bowl Head onto his side ignoring the cold puddle he knelt in that quickly soaked through the knees of his trousers and wincing when his makeshift bandages pulled against the long wound in his side. Face held the other mans hands together behind his back and tightly wrapped the plastic tape around the goons wrists before shuffling across the floor to tape his ankles together.

With Bowl Head tightly secured he pulled off the mans shoes and socks, grimacing at the musty smell that rose from his feet, and jammed a sock into Bowl Heads mouth before crawling back over to the other goon to repeat the entire procedure. Face cursed as static stung his fingers as he rolled the limp body over and was strangely relieved to realize the other man was still alive and hadn't been added to the tortured souls of the dead that haunted his dreams.

Silently he bound the man with the tape and gagged him then knelt with his head bowed, breathing deeply and trying to ease the ever present dizziness that had been with him since the airport parking lot. Part of him couldn't believe that only a matter of hours ago he had been antagonizing Amy on their way to a team celebration and now here he was, a day closer to Thanksgiving, in a dank washroom at an old gas station, with two turkeys trussed and ready for the oven. He chuckled slightly at the thought then clutched at his side as his abused body told him exactly what it thought of that idea. This Thanksgiving was turning out to be even worse than usual, and that was saying a lot for him.

Slowly he forced himself to his feet, one hand never straying far from his aching side, stumbled over to the sink and leant against the wall as he had done earlier. He held both hands under the running taps and scrubbed them over his warm face, trying to revive himself with the frigid water, the hot having run out long ago. Face took a few deep breaths to prepare himself for the task ahead and reached to turn off the taps, studiously avoiding looking in the mirror. It didn't matter what he looked like right now, he wouldn't see the rest of the team until all this was over, if he ever saw them again. He held no false hopes of it going well but he had to try, all that mattered was getting her out of there.

Stepping over the still unconscious goons in the ever darkening gloom that permeated the small room Face carefully bent and rifled through Bowl Heads pockets, almost sighing with relief when he found the car keys quickly, before walking out of the tiny room and shutting the door, fumbling in the concealed pocket on his waistband for a lock pick. Something niggled at the back of his mind as he stood there in the bitter winters wind, but except for carefully leaning against the flaking plaster covered wall, he ignored his body's complaints and concentrated on slowly running the last ten minutes through his mind. There was something he was missing, something he had forgotten to do he was sure of it, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it could be, so with an inward shrug, the only kind his ribs would permit, he dismissed the doubt and turned his attention back to the lock, putting his worry down to the stress of the evening.

The cold night air continued to assault him causing his hands to tremble even more violently as he struggled to lock the thick WC door before he left, trapping the men inside. His body ached with the cold and the abuse it had taken, silently voicing its demands for rest but he couldn't stop, he had a plan, of sorts, and if the rest of the team wasn't there to help him he'd just have to find a way to make it work by himself.

The serene night sky was quickly becoming obscured by thick clouds, taking away his only source of light since he had caused the circuit to short with his goon trap, when the lock finally snapped into place. Lightning flashed in the distance illuminating the approaching storm clouds and the dull rumble of thunder could be heard soon after, but Face wasn't overly concerned, if anything the storm might cover his and Amy's escape from the mansion. More than anything he wanted to rush to the big house and get Amy out of there, but common sense ruled out once again and stopped him in his tracks. If it was just his life at stake he wouldn't even hesitate, but he couldn't gamble with Amy's life, couldn't take the chance that if he failed she'd be lost. He had to phone Hannibal and tell him what had happened.

Face glanced over to the phone he had used earlier, taking a deep breath to steel himself for the conversation he was about to have. But no matter what Hannibal said Face would not be dissuaded from his plan of action, if he had to he'd lie through his back teeth and accept the consequences later, after Amy was free.

Clutching tightly to his aching side Face staggered over to the wall where he had leant earlier, next to the battered pay-phone and sought in his pocket for another quarter before picking up the receiver. He trapped the receiver between his shoulder and his ear as he dredged his mind for the number of the phone in the van, pressing on the button repeatedly when no dial tone came through. He frowned at the phone, slamming his finger down a few more times just for good measure. He couldn't understand what could have happened whilst he was in the WC, the phone was working fine before, and the electric circuit blowing shouldn't affect the phone lines in any way.

Cursing under his breath Face replaced the handset and reached for the neighboring phone with the crackly line, with any luck it would be good enough so that he could relay the new information to Hannibal. Thunder rumbled nearby, the volume such that he could feel the vibrations of the deep bass sound through the bare ground he was stood on, but as the reverberations died away Face could hear nothing; that line was dead too.

He swore loudly as he let the phone drop, what the hell was going on around here? But as soon as the thought emerged he realized it didn't matter. He didn't have time to speculate on the causes or even try to fix the phone, he wasn't even sure he could do anything about a dead line. Hannibal would have to find out the hard way that Face had disobeyed him, Face winced at the thought, it wouldn't be a pretty sight, though he wouldn't leave the other man completely clueless as to what had gone on. Taking the Sedan's keys from his pocket Face scratched a few rough symbols on the plaster wall next to the last pay-phone hoping that one of the team would notice when they were looking for him. To most people the strange symbols would hold little meaning, looking more like a random act of graffiti than anything else, but the rest of the team, of his team, would know what they meant and that they had come from him.

Face wiped the small pieces of crumbling plaster off the key onto his pants leg and hurried over to the black Sedan, knowing there was nothing more he could do. He struggled with the keys for a moment before realizing that Bowl Head had left the car unlocked, then slid into the drivers seat shaking his head at his own foolishness. Face winced and closed his eyes as his vision swam momentarily, sitting as still as he could until the wave of dizziness subsided slightly. Then slipping the car into drive he maneuvered it through the scrub behind the diner until he was fairly confident it was concealed from the road. As much as he would have liked to use the luxurious vehicle, with a wonderful working heater, to get to the mansion it was far too conspicuous and would easily be recognized. The 'borrowed' Vauxhall would have to remain his getaway vehicle.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The night only darkened as the storm closed in on the long journey to where Face was holed up, making the somber atmosphere in the van even more oppressive. There had been little conversation once Hannibal had relayed all that Face had told him and since they had set off each had lapsed into uneasy silence lost in dark thoughts. Even Murdock's usual chatter was absent as they worried about what their team mate and especially Amy could be going through. Vietnam had given them all experience in waiting and worrying but it had not made it any more pleasant or easier to bear.

Traffic began to thin as the night wore on and as the van turned on to the lonely highway the passing streak of headlights became even more infrequent. Silvery beams of moonlight dripped from the cloudy sky casting eerie shadows on the encroaching forest as the three men sped towards the building tempest, the ominous rumble of thunder sending a shiver through all their hearts. Lightning flashed briefly, silhouetting trees and telegraph poles as it was attracted to their lofty heights, repeating the image every time they blinked until it slowly faded away. But in the quick burst of light each of them had noticed something else too; soon they would be there.

The petrol station was shrouded in darkness as the van slowly pulled up and BA began to turn the wheel to pull into the small parking lot.

"Don't stop BA, keep going." Hannibal's sharp bark cut through the tense silence like the lightening had pierced the darkness of the sky.

"Hannibal! Face is back there!"

From the backseat Murdock hadn't seen, or hadn't cared that the parking lot was empty and no lights were showing, he was finding it difficult to care about much at the moment other than making sure that Face and Amy were ok.

"Relax Murdock, we're gonna stop somewhere ahead and double back, something about that place just didn't feel right."

"Yeah fool." The frequently used insult was soft and full of concern "Wouldn't jus' leave the Faceman behind."

Murdock bit his lip nervously and stared at his hands clenching and unclenching endlessly in his lap, this whole situation felt wrong. Face and Amy should be here with them, none of this should have happened and especially not at Thanksgiving. He squeezed his eyes shut as the van pulled off the road a short distance from the filling station, trying to will Face and Amy to be ok, for none of this to have happened, but when he opened them again he was still in the van and Hannibal had turned round to stare at him, worry evident deep within his cool blue eyes.

"You ready Captain?"

"Yeah Hannibal, lets get them back."

Hannibal's mouth tightened into a thin line as he nodded his reply with a quick jerk of his head.

Slowly the three men stalked towards the petrol station, caution evident in their every move. Although they had stocked up with equipment before leaving the van they used only the night vision their eyes and the fading moonlight provided, too wary that torchlight would reveal their position as well as temporarily destroying their natural ability to see in the gloom.

Strange shapes loomed from the darkest shadows creating frightening images all too reminiscent of past treks through enemy territory. Branches reached out to snag in their clothes but they knew that the nightmares their minds created from the shadowy world that surrounded them could not compare to the reality of the situation they had found themselves in yet again.

BA signaled back to the other two men, the filling station was in sight. Without making a sound Hannibal motioned to BA to circle round to the left whilst Murdock circled to the right. He would be taking the most dangerous position, straight across the forecourt. At least with the lights out he wouldn't be as visible and wouldn't present as much of a target.

Silently the three men moved into position and with a quick glance to the others Hannibal swiftly crouch-jogged across the open ground to the main building alert to sound or movement of any kind and keenly missing Face's presence at his back. As a team they had been forced to work without each other on occasion but it never felt quite right, the dynamic that made them the A-team was missing. Strangely enough Amy had only added another dimension enabling them to work in and adapt to a wider range of situations without taking away from what made them so damn good. They had to get them back.

Hannibal winced as his foot scuffed across a raised patch of gravel half expecting to feel the searing pain of a bullet at any second, even knowing the other two were watching his every movement ready to lay covering fire if they suspected trouble, but all was silent apart from the rumble of distant thunder and the small rustlings of nocturnal animals.. He reached the wall of the diner without incident and swiftly moved to the deepest shadows watching his surroundings intently as he waited for the two men to finish their surveillance and join him.

Murdock was the first to break cover and silently stepped round the side of the derelict building looking for the older man he knew would be waiting for him.

"Hannibal?" The whisper was barely more than a breath quickly whipped away by the cold night air.

"Over here Captain."

Murdock turned to him with a start. "I couldn't see you in the shadows."

"That's the idea fool." BA's gruff voice quietly sallied back to him as the big man jogged round the other side of the diner and joined the two men.

Murdock didn't rise to the bait for once, his anxiety overriding his love of pranks and frivolous insults especially where the sergeant was concerned.

"Hannibal I don't like this, Face was supposed to be here."

"I know Captain, there had better be a damn good reason for him not being here."

"Hannibal, there's a car back there, a black sedan…"

Murdock couldn't hold back a gasp,

"Like in the news report!"

"Yeah. Been dumped in the bushes like someone wanted to hide it."

Hannibal glanced between the two men, noting the growing expression of worry Murdock held in contrast to the stoic set of BA's features.

"But no sign of Face?"

"Nah, anyone could have left it there, we don't even know it's the same car."

Hannibal nodded, lost in thought for a moment. He didn't want to believe Face had disobeyed a direct order, though it wouldn't exactly be the first time, but the lieutenant knew they stood a far better chance of getting Amy out of there as a team, so if he hadn't willingly disobeyed something must have happened to make him leave, either of his own accord or not. Hannibal couldn't decide which was worse but wasting time on random speculation was helping nobody.

"Right you two, we're going to scour this lot from top to bottom, hopefully somewhere we'll find some sign of what's happened to Face."

The three worried men split up again to look for any clues as to where their missing comrade could be, each still alert to any possible danger that could be lurking in the night. Hannibal and BA set off in the same direction, Hannibal to search the parking lot whilst BA investigated the abandoned car he had discovered only minutes ago, when a low call interrupted them drawing their attention back to the diner.

"Hey, uh, Hannibal, I think I can hear a noise coming from in the john."

Murdock leaned closer and pressed his ear to the weather-beaten woodwork as the two men quickly made their way back over to him.

"Captain?"

"There's definitely something going on in there. You don't suppose Face…" He trailed off not quite knowing how to finish that sentence. The thought that all this time they had been searching for Face and he had been holed up in the washroom would have been enough to send him into an irrational fit of giggles if it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation..

"I take it the door's locked?"

"Yes Colonel, I tried it myself, left and right, but it's sealed up tight."

BA shot a glance to the lanky pilot wondering whether he was joking around talking in rhyme like that but one quick look at the other mans tight lipped pale face assured the sergeant it had been an inadvertent slip of the tongue. BA was thoroughly convinced that Murdock was crazy but he knew the man wasn't insane and right now he was far too worried to pull pranks or lark about in his usual farcical manner.

"Right BA, on the count of three…"

The burly man stood in front of the door ready to shoulder barge it open on the mark, propriety be damned. If Face was in there then they needed to know and if he was 'busy' so be it, BA would rather have him alive and embarrassed than dead any day of the week. Hannibal and Murdock flanked him either side of the doorway guns lowered but at the ready.

"One…, two…, three!"

BA slammed his shoulder against the door a few times before the old battered lock gave under his massive strength, then fell to the floor as a gun exploded in the darkness of the tiny room.

"Shit!" Hannibal cursed as he quickly pressed himself back against the wall noting Murdock do the same on the other side of the open doorway. What the hell was going on around here?

More than anything Hannibal wanted to shout to BA, to check that he was ok but to do that would mark the sergeant as a potential hostage for whoever was inside, a situation he would not allow to happen. Two of his team were already missing he would not lose a third. As long as the big man stayed where he had fallen and didn't draw any attention to himself, played dead as it were, he should be safe. The sergeant had collapsed too far into the room to be able to get up and out of there quickly enough to avoid being shot. The only problem was neither Hannibal nor Murdock knew if he was still alive and BA couldn't let them know without also letting the 'bad guys' know. Hannibal had to force himself to stop grinding his teeth; this day was just getting worse and worse.

"Hey! You in there! Throw down your guns and come out with your hands up. We've got you surrounded!"

Hannibal used his best 'I am in command and you will obey' tone that had most people doing as they had been told before they realized what they were doing.

A strange grating sound followed by the rumble of falling rocks was his only reply.

"You've got five seconds to come out or we're coming in!"

This time the reply came in a burst of gunfire causing both men to curse and press themselves further back against the wall. Hannibal clenched his jaw, none of this would work whilst BA was so vulnerable, common sense be damned he was going to get the big sergeant out of there right now, he would not lose another member of his team to uncertainty that day. He looked across the gaping entryway to where Murdock was stood, easily catching the other mans eye and with quick silent motions signaled his intentions. The captain clenched his jaw, not liking where this plan was headed but understanding the necessity and nodded his head to show he understood. On the count of three they moved.

The rumbling thunder was lost beneath the staccato of Murdock's gun as he fired into ceiling of the washroom far above the heads of anyone inside and made a lunge for one of BA's legs, noticing Hannibal do the same on the other side. Together they braced themselves against the doorframe and heaved the prone body out of the tiny room hoping their actions would be disguised to the shooter in the darkness. Quickly Hannibal dropped to cover the big sergeant's body with his own and rolled both of them to Murdock's side of the doorway even as the lanky captain scrambled to his feet out of their way and continued to fire high into the darkened room only stopping when they were all concealed behind the wall once more.

"Hannibal?" Murdock stood by the doorway; he desperately wanted to see how BA was but refused to take his eyes from the room. The shooter hadn't returned fire yet which only made Murdock all the more nervous and on edge.

Hannibal untangled himself from the large man, rolling him onto his back in the dusty verge. It was as he feared, BA hadn't just been playing possum, something was seriously wrong with him, he hadn't moved or made a sound throughout the entire maneuver. Ignoring Murdock's shaky question Hannibal quickly began to check BA over, looking for any wounds or injuries whilst the sound of the first gunshot played over and over in his mind. He should have moved quicker, should have realized that something was wrong when BA didn't signal them after he hit the floor, shouldn't have been so stupid as to assume it was Face in there in the first place. Face knew better than that, he would have been waiting for them anxious to rescue Amy.

Hannibal's self berating tirade stopped as his fingers encountered sticky liquid on the side of BA's head, holding them up to the meager light offered by the partially covered moon he quickly noted how it shone darkly against his pale skin and learnt forward to see how bad the wound was.

Running from just above BA's temple to just above his ear was a shallow wound that bled profusely and had already covered the side of his face with blood. Hannibal dug in his pocket for a handkerchief and pressed it against the oozing cut with one hand whilst swiftly continuing to look for any more injuries.

Murdock couldn't bear it much longer. If the Colonel didn't tell him what was wrong with BA soon he felt like he would explode. First Face and Amy, now this. Would nothing go right today? Maybe Face was right, maybe Thanksgiving was a doomed holiday never to be enjoyed by all, maybe…

"It looks like that first bullet grazed him and knocked him out cold, any sight of the shooter?"

Hannibal's quiet whisper filtered through Murdock's jumbled thoughts making him calmer and more worried at the same time but he dragged his mind away and tried to concentrate on what the Colonel was asking him.

"No Colonel, it's dead quiet in there." He winced at his insensitive analogy and made the decision to risk the other mans wrath by asking about BA, albeit hesitantly.

"Is he gonna be…"

"We wont know until he wakes up but I think he'll be ok." Hannibal gently interrupted the tentative question whilst removing his dark jacket and rolling it into a bundle to place beneath the other man's head. Standing Hannibal briefly laid a hand on Murdock's shoulder before carefully moving him to one side so he had full access to the open doorway, then crouched down so he would be less obvious and quickly glanced into the dark room.

Hannibal squinted, struggling to see through the shadows that shrouded the small room ready to leap back to safety should anything untoward happen but all was quiet. As his eyes became accustomed to the darker environment vague shadows began to take on more defined shapes and became recognizable as a sink on the left and looming ominously on the right a door hanging from one hinge, but what stopped his breath in his throat lay sprawled across the middle of the room, blond hair glinting in a brief glimpse of moonlight.

Waving Murdock to cover him Hannibal scanned the room once more looking for where the shooter could be hiding as he slowly walked towards the motionless body, gun poised and muscles tense as his feet squeaked on the wet tiles. He stalked around the edge of the room trying to keep both the body and the open stall in view. As much as he feared it to be Face lying so still on the soaked floor he kept his distance knowing that it could also be the person who was shooting at them moments ago. Suddenly Hannibal's ankle twisted from under him as he stepped on a piece of rubble that littered the small room and he crashed to the floor next to the body cursing loudly and expecting the shooter to spring his trap any second, but everything was quiet. Deciding that all was lost anyway the older man fumbled in his pocket for the torch he kept there whilst trying to reassure his edgy captain who was still dutifully standing outside the room.

"It's ok Murdock, I just tripped on some rubble. Keep your position, eyes open."

The crisp white beam pierced the shadows with ease as Hannibal directed it straight towards the open stall tracing its every movement with his gun, but there was no sign of the shooter unless his was the body lying inches away from where the colonel had tripped. He swung the light back to the prone form lying so close to him ready for any kind of movement, both dreading and hoping that it was his wayward lieutenant, but the mans features were hidden as he lay on his side facing away from the older man.

Hannibal started to climb to his feet, swearing quietly as pain flared in his ankle where he had twisted it on the rubble, then instantly forgot all about the pain and scrambled across the floor on his hands and knees as the swaying torch light briefly revealed the other mans hands taped tightly behind his back. Quickly he turned the man gently over, trying to be mindful of any injuries he might have sustained, his throat constricting as he shone the beam into the other mans face only to hang his head as the light revealed a stranger. The colonel took a few deep breaths to calm his stretched nerves before calling out to Murdock who had to be feeling the strain of being rear guard and watching over BA by now.

"All clear Murdock, no sign of the shooter."

Murdock cautiously stuck his head around the door and squinted as the colonel's torch shone in his eyes before the other man moved it away with a mumbled apology.

"Who's that?" He gestured at the tied up body from the doorway, not wanting to leave BA outside alone in case something should happen. He didn't want to let either of them out of his sight until this whole thing was resolved and they had Face and Amy back, it had been pure agony when the Colonel had gone into the washroom by himself leaving Murdock outside with an unconscious BA, and when he had heard the other man fall and curse he had assumed the worse but knew he couldn't abandon his point, especially not with his friend lying completely defenseless next to him.

"I don't know, I thought for a second it might be Face but…" Hannibal trailed off as Murdock nodded his head. In the dim light the blonde hair looked frighteningly familiar.

"So the other guy go out the window?"

Hannibal started and twisted to look where Murdock was pointing. He hadn't even noticed the jagged hole high in the wall with rubble piled at the bottom obviously from where a window had been bricked up and all thoughts of where the shooter had gone had vanished when he saw the body he had thought was Face lying on the floor. The shooter must have ripped a pipe out from under the sink to smash through the old mortar, though from the looks of it, it hadn't taken much smashing. Turning back towards the door Hannibal saw how the old wood was dented and the door handle misshapen but the shooter had obviously given up quickly as it proved too tough for him and turned to the old window instead. It certainly explained the strange sounds they had heard as he scrambled out of the gap to make his escape.

"Well he's not in here." Hannibal winced as the words left his mouth, he didn't mean to be harsh but he was annoyed with himself for not noticing the window earlier. He forced himself to smile slightly at the other man as he got to his feet. "Come on, lets get this guy out of here, if we can get him to wake up he might be able to shed a little light on what's going on around here."

He bent to grab the guy under his armpits and drag him outside next to BA when a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Do you really think you should be dragging a guy with only one working pin?"

Hannibal bit back a curse; he thought he'd covered his pain better than that. Sometimes his overly observant captain really got on his nerves, though he was useful to have around when Face was playing up.

"It's fine Murdock."

He tried to shrug the other mans hand off and continue with his task but Murdock's grip merely tightened as he carefully pushed the older man out of his way with one hand and jammed his gun into his waistband with the other then dragged the limp body outside before Hannibal could protest anymore.

Hannibal glared after the man as he followed him outside, still on the alert and determined not to limp despite the hot ache that flared up his leg with every step. One day his team would actually listen to what he told them; and Billy would suddenly become visible the sarcastic little voice that sounded strangely like Face laughed in his head. He sighed and crouched down next to Murdock.

"How's BA?"

"No change. How's the ankle?"

Hannibal scowled and ignored the question instead reaching out to check the big sergeant's pulse, almost jerking back in shock when the other man moved and groaned under the light touch. He gently grasped BA's left wrist and pressed it to the ground, noting out of the corner of his eye as Murdock did the same on his right side. If he woke up fighting he could take both of them out without even realizing it, just something else they'd got used to as a team over the years. None of them could say they were immune to old memories and the nightmares and occasionally violent awakenings they'd bring, but they had learnt how to cope for the most part.

Murdock leaned over the big man as BA's eyelids began to flutter and his head gently rolled from side to side.

"Come on now, open your pretty little eyeballs BA."

BA groaned as he looked up into Murdock's grinning features.

"Fool?" His voice was soft and hesitant.

"Hey Mudsucker. What have we told you about sleeping on the job?" Murdock replied just as softly as Hannibal leant forward, both men awash with relief that he had regained consciousness.

"Get off me fool!" BA growled out at the lanky captain and tried to push him away and sit up before his head swam and he fell back to the ground again with a groan

"Easy now BA, that was quite a knock to the head you took. Murdock, go and get the van, as soon as BA is able I want us out of here."

" Fool aint drivin' my van!" BA growled and struggled to sit up once more but Hannibal quickly pushed him back to lean against the wall with one hand on his shoulder and shot him a glare.

"I'll deal with you in a minute. Murdock, the van."

"But Colonel, what about Face?"

"We'll take Blondie with us. Hopefully when he wakes up he can fill us in on a few details."

"But…"

"No buts Captain, I don't want to stay here a minute longer than we have to."

"Yes sir" Murdock's face screwed up in displeasure but he knew that Blondie was their best chance of finding out what had happened here since Face had rung them. He also knew that the colonel was very close to losing his temper and he did not want to be on the receiving end of that, they were all on a short fuse right now and Face disappearing really hadn't helped matters.. He trudged off into the night wondering where Face and Amy had got to and saying a quick thank you to whoever might be listening that the ugly mudsucker was ok.

Hannibal turned his attention back to BA smothering a smile as the big sergeant blinked owlishly at him in the gloom.

"How're you doing BA, and no BS."

BA swallowed under Hannibal's glare and willed himself not to look away.

"I'm ok Hannibal…" he gulped again as the glare somehow got worse "My head's pounding a fair bit but I'm ok."

Hannibal looked at him skeptically before leaning forward with his torch to peer under the folded handkerchief on the other mans temple, wincing in sympathy when BA hissed under his breath as it stuck in the drying blood.

"It seems to have stopped bleeding but you've got one hell of a cut there, I'll have to bandage it up when Murdock gets here with the van."

BA cringed at the thought of Murdock driving his baby but he knew better than to bring it up again, especially when Hannibal was in this mood. "As long as you don't use no sellotape on me, Face must be crazy using that stuff."

Hannibal chuckled under his breath. "No sellotape BA, I promise, I remember how you complained last time."

"Damn stuff hurts, pulling it off wounds like that."

"It worked didn't it?"

BA just grumbled under his breath causing Hannibal to start chuckling again though the thought of Face sobered him up quickly and he turned away so he was looking out into the shadowy trees and waited for Murdock to reappear. He didn't have to wait long before he could hear the familiar rumble of the vans engine and was dazzled by the headlights as it swung onto the forecourt in front of the gas station stopping close to where the two men waited. Murdock quickly scrambled out of the drivers seat, leaving the engine running, and opened the sliding side door before jogging to Hannibal's side.

"How're you doing BA?"

"Better now you're not driving no more." BA growled as Hannibal and Murdock each grabbed one of his arms and gently hauled him to his feet careful not to bang his head on the payphones above. The change in position only increased the pounding in his head and he reached out to the wall for support as his vision swam madly for a couple of seconds, grimacing as the broken plaster crumbled into his hand.

"You okay BA?" Hannibal hadn't relinquished his hold on the other mans arm and felt him sway before seemingly regaining his balance.

"Yeah, I just…" He trailed off, one hand poised where he had wiped the plaster off his hand onto his pants leg staring at the wall he had just been leaning on.

"BA?"

"I know where Face is."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Extra AN. I'm not sure what to do about this, I'd like to carry on but I have been told that my writing is slipping, that each chapter is worse than the one before. I could go back and try to polish the whole thing up but that would probably mean an even longer wait, it's actually left me quite dispirited about the whole thing.

I would like to apologise for the really long wait, I dont want to bore anyone with the details but RL hasn't been so good lately and I'm doing the best I can.

I hope you weren't too disappointed with it.

Anyway, after that rather depressing AN, I hope to be back soon. Scorn.


End file.
